Reality Bites By James Norton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

OK so this is one of THOSE Reality Bites where members of my family cringe because I am going to ramble about my personal life Рeven though I always think nobody bothers to read my ramblings – so who cares what I write about.

So here we go. Without being too personal, let‚Äôs just say I have had some guilt and unresolved emotional issues I have been carrying inside me for the better part of the last 10-plus years.  Most of them revolve around a certain person who was in my life in a big way for many years and who was my closest friend until she was killed in an accident 11 years ago.

By George P. Hassett

A proposal from Sheriff James V. DiPaola to build a new county jail in Somerville has received outright opposition from State Rep. Carl M. Sciortino and little support from Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

Curtatone said this week that bringing a jail to the city is not a priority and the project ranks far behind the development of Innerbelt Road, Union Square and Assembly Square on the city’s to-do list. He said he has not met with DiPaola to discuss the issue in more than a year.

“The city never said, ‘Hey build a jail here.’ Our priority is to maximize the city’s development potential, create jobs and increase the tax base,” he said. “We don’t want to take up a valuable development site with a jail.”

The big question is what happened to the monument at Trum Field?  That was not supposed to be removed, according to the Strategic Planning Department at the last public hearing.  Lots of people are wondering what is going on. Is this a case of saying one thing and doing another?

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July 29th around Somerville has three birthdays each year that make it hard to forget‚Ķ Marisa Tauro – the lovely wife of Billy Tauro – of the well-known and famous Tauro family – is 39 again and we have no reason to doubt her.  Patti Norton – the mother of our editor and the wife of Donald Norton – is also celebrating her birthday and one of her best presents was 14 years ago – the birth of grandson Corey Norton – who has grown up to be another good looking Norton red head (we hear he‚Äôs got a girlfriend already).    

By George P. Hassett

Daily life in New England‚Äôs most densely populated city can have its share of headaches and frustrations.  However, perennial urban nuisances such as noise, traffic and unleashed dogs can be solved with cooperation and interaction between residents and city officials, according to Stephanie Hirsch, director of the city‚Äôs new ResiStat program, an offshoot of the SomerStat program.

SomerStat, which is modeled off of Baltimore’s CitiStat program, is a database-driven management tool that requires city departments to track information about all of their activities and to examine that information aggressively. City officials gather and process raw information such as financial records and departmental reports. This information is entered into a database, which allows the departments and city staff to track the details of municipal operations from the time it takes to fill a pothole to how much money is being spent on overtime pay. The SomerStat staff then analyzes the data and presents trends and statistics at regular meetings of the department heads.

By Franklin W. Liu

We are constantly pressed for time these days. But when wolfing down another slice of pizza or a hamburger seems totally unappetizing, there is an exotic alternative to consider — Benjapon‚Äôs, a fast food Thai restaurant, is right on the edge of Davis Square.

Benjapon Jivasantikarn, a 30-something, energetic Thai-born proprietor decided two years ago while completing her MBA at Babson College that her business plan is to serve a zippy-fast selection of 20 popular items of Thai cuisine from soup to dessert on the premises or delivered. 

By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

The United States was fortunate to have a rare abundance of political geniuses that came together to write its Constitution. It was truly blessed that these framers had the wisdom to listen carefully to each other and the capacity to keep doing so until they had put the young nation’s wellbeing above their own personal interests.

Thomas Jefferson, ambassador to France at the time, conveyed his views in a series of letters. In November 1787, 21 years after he drafted the Declaration of Independence, he wrote, “God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion… The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

By Doug Holder

It is said that great pain brings great art. In the case of local poet Michael Mack it has brought a performance piece, “Hearing Voices: Speaking In Tongues,” that deals with Mack’s experience of growing up with a schizophrenic mother. Mack’s evocative and heart wrenching performance piece engages his genius for words and dramatic portrayal in dealing with a tragic disease. He has also penned a poetry collection, “Homework,” that deals with his less-than-ideal childhood.

By George P. Hassett

Commuters staring at the walls of the Davis Square train station will soon have something new to look at courtesy of local artists and collaboration between city officials, Tufts University and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Large art panels representing the Somerville and Tufts communities will be displayed throughout the station this year after being judged by a local jury.

By George P. Hassett

Machines inside of the Rogers Foam factory at 20 Vernon St. caught fire today, producing clouds of black smoke that could be seen for miles. The fire spread from inside the factory to its tar roof which caused the smoke clouds to be thick and heavy, said Deputy Fire Chief Dave Salvi.
  One firefighter tore back ligaments during the effort to extinguish the blaze, but no one else was hurt. The building suffered extensive damage, said Salvi. He said damages were estimated, ‚Äúat least in the tens of thousands, if not hundreds.‚Äù
   The building at 20 Vernon St. also houses work space for dozens of artists, known as the Vernon Street Studios. That side of the building, he said, was not affected by the flames.

By Andrea Gregory

Three roundtrip tickets to Florida: $1,510; Lodging for two nights; $756; One day car rental; $80; The cost of choosing the best candidate for Somerville’s police chief: priceless.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and two other city officials spent the end of last week in Florida as one of the final steps in the police chief selection process. The total cost came to $2,346 and Curtatone said it was money well spent. However, he added that his three-day trip to the sunshine state was anything but a day at the beach.

“It was so hot and humid,” he said